RE: Horses Back

["Kathy Mayeda" <kathy_mayeda@atce.com>]

Struggled with this for a couple of years.  Make sure that you yourself
are riding balanced.  In fact, a couple of months break from riding
with lots of longing and longreining ground work, body wraps 
(Linda Tellington-Jones), worked wonders.  Meanwhile I was taking lessons
on another horse to improve my balance.  If you have a Centered Riding
instructor nearby, take some lessons.  It is amazing how little effort
it takes to make the horse relax and travel round and on the bit if you
know how.  Figure that everytime you ride with the horses back is hollow,
you are actually taking steps backwards, not forwards.  Horsey butt tucks,
carrot stretches, etc. etc.  

My problems never really went away until I got a saddle that worked for
him (ReactorPanel).  What a prince.

There is an excellent book titled "Understanding Your Horses Back" by
Sarah Wyche that you might read and get more ideas.  One of the more
effective ideas that I got from the book is to shoe with a wider web
shoe.  Made an immediate difference.

Kathy

-----Original Message-----
From: guest@endurance.net [mailto:guest@endurance.net]
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2001 7:45 PM
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: RC: Horses Back


Ann Branch Bubblegumlady@aol.com
I have a 6year old that has never done anything. I have been working him
slow on hills and teaching him to put his head down.when he gets excited
up goes the head, back hollows and he gets a sore back.I have been
working on him the last 6 months.We are making slow progress. How long
do most horses with week backs take to get stong enough for endurance
riding? and what exercise help the most? 
                           Getting Frustrated


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